Through a new arrangement with Mitsubishi Corporation (Mitsubishi), Toyo Tire & Rubber (Toyo) aims to “survive and remain viable” during the “unprecedented transformation” currently occurring in the automotive industry. The two parties have entered into a business alliance agreement that involves Mitsubishi increasing its shareholding in Toyo from 3.05 per cent to 20 per cent. Toyo will issue Mitsubishi 26,931,956 new shares via a third-party allotment that will be paid in between 15 January and 28 June 2019. With this share acquisition, Mitsubishi becomes Toyo’s largest shareholder.

Tyre testers have labelled all-season tyres a ‘compromise’ purchase in past years for their inability to deliver the performance of both summer and winter tyres whenever the weather snaps its fingers and demands this. In its evaluation of the current generation of all-season rubber, Germany’s auto motor und sport harbours no illusions that such a compromise still exists. It wanted to know, however, whether the compromise can be effectively reduced through considered choice of product – the answer, the publication shares, is that it can.

For Toyo Tire & Rubber, the first half of 2018 was a period of mixed fortunes. The manufacturer reports that turnover and earnings within its core tyre business increased 3.9 per cent during the six months to 30 June, with sales of 160,046 million yen (£1.1 billion) and operating income of 22,669 million yen (£160.8 million) resulting in a slightly improved profit margin of 14.2 per cent. Overall sales were down 3.3 per cent, to 185,738 million yen (£1.3 billion), due to decreased turnover within the company’s automotive parts business.

China’s largest tyre manufacturer, Zhongce Rubber, has entered the global top ten, research published today by Tyrepress shows. Best known in Europe for its Westlake brand, the company has pushed up in the rankings past Giti Tire – manufacturer of GT Radial – which did not supply 2017 figures before the deadline, Toyo Tires, and Cooper Tire & Rubber, which fell three places. Competition in the lower quarter of the top ten places is fierce, with turnovers for tyres between 2.4 billion euros (Cooper in 13th) and 3.2 billion euros (Maxxis in ninth).

The 2018 European Athletics Championships will take place in Berlin from 7 to 12 August, and after being part of the IAAF World Championships London 2017 and the IAAF Indoor World Championships Birmingham 2018 as National Partner, Toyo Tires has now extended its association with athletics as an Official Partner for the event in the German capital.

In recent years we’ve seen a number of tyre makers introduce noise reduction technologies that utilise foam insulation, with Continental, Hankook, Bridgestone, Sumitomo Rubber, Goodyear amongst those bringing their own version of the concept to market. Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has taken a different approach and sought instead to cut noise by modifying airflow within the tyre cavity. It calls its solution Toyo Silent Technology.

A quartet of Midlands based firms gave their backing to MotoFest Coventry 2018 by signing up as sponsors, including a new sprint circuit sponsor. First up on the roll call of Midlands based sponsors for 2018 was Toyo Tires, which has its UK head office in Rushden, unveiled as the new sponsor for the long track sprint circuit. Organisers said after this year’s festival that the MotoFest was the biggest and best ever after record-breaking crowds poured into the city to enjoy the first ever competitive motorsports staged at the event. Visitor numbers are thought to have topped last year’s high of 130,000.

Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) and Toyo Tires have signed a new three-year UK distribution contract. The wholesaler states that it has shown strong sales performance with the Toyo brand recently, and the new deal will help to showcase the solidity of the partnership.

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co has achieved rapid fuel efficiency savings in its truck and bus tyre line-up through its Nano Balance Technology. The manufacturer has been advancing its indigenous rubber material development technology since 2011; the latest step forward is a new process development technology Toyo says will contribute to significant reduction in fuel consumption from “nano processing.”

Toyo Tire Europe has become a National Partner of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships, Birmingham 2018.
Following their successful partnership with the IAAF World Championships London 2017, Toyo Tires have enhanced their National Partner agreement with the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018, by adding the Toyo Tires logo to the athletes’ bibs.

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co kicked off its year at the annual Tokyo Auto Salon in mid-January at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City. Exhibiting its eponymous and Nitto brands, the tyre manufacturer presented its motorsport pedigree with guests Ken Block and BJ Baldwin, while Toyo Tires president, Takashi Shimizu, and managing director, Tomoshige Mizutani, were on hand to talk about the company’s history and North American automobile culture.

Toyo is aiming to turn heads at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The headliners are Ken Block and BJ Baldwin, who, if you are into motorsports and have access to YouTube, need no introduction. Between the two of them, they are not only responsible for millions of views on their extraordinary videos, but are simultaneously two of the most successful racers in their respective sports.